On My Way To You
by MakoRain
Summary: A glance at Reno's dating scene over the span of one very interesting weekend. RenoxElena, RenoxTifa, RenoxYuffie, TsungxElena, CloudxTifa, VincentxYuffie. Multichapter oneshot.
1. Friday Night

A/N: This is something that's been in my head in a while and took one really long productive late night to finish so I hope you enjoy. Please R&R

All standard disclaimers apply. Background music: "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven (love this song)

"**On My Way to You"**

**By MakoRain**

**Friday Night**

_Well I'm still imagining a dark lit place, or your place or my place._

"Hell yeah, they're playing my song."

Reno couldn't help doing that kind of head nod thing that guys do in lieu to dancing as he checked himself out in the mirror. White shirt unbuttoned just so, check. Black suit wrinkle free; a few moves of his hands smoothing down his clothes made that pretty much a check. Awesome red hair mussed up to unruly perfection; that one made him blanch. Unfortunately, all that head bobbing did nothing for his hair which he seemed to have caught with the comb a few times making a few fiery red spikes stand out more than they should have.

A few more slick downs and pull ups with his hair gel and his magic comb and he was a walking babe magnet, if he did say so himself. Paralyzer was still playing on the radio that was blasting through the entire apartment and Rude just shook his head as he walked past a well groomed Reno, ready for the prowl.

"Don't wait up, buddy." With that and a wink, Reno was a red blur out the door, eager to get the easy pickings.

Rude just shook his head again. His partner wasn't getting lucky tonight.

Seventh Heaven was the place to be and Reno wouldn't be left out, pushing his way past an unhappy Cloud manning the door to the soon to be over packed bar.

"Reno."

The way Cloud had his arms crossed over his chest made him look so much like the ex-SOLDIER the chocobo head once claimed to be that Reno couldn't help poking at the sore subject a bit.

"Whoa, Cloud. Easy there, buddy. No need to pull out the old buster sword on me."

Reno shrugged his shoulders good naturedly, trying to pull off the innocent routine and not getting very far if Cloud's strong arming him from entering was any sign of that.

"I don't have the patience for you tonight Reno, seriously. If you plan on making a mess, just save me the trouble and throw your own ass out."

He stood in Reno's way, still not letting him pass. He knew Reno too well and just waited to see what the big mouth would come up with this time.

"Me? Sweet lil innocent me?"

He hammed it up with the puppy dog eyes and was really getting into it until he had to cough out the comment, "Well, I'm not so little. You know that, being in the locker room at the same time and all…"

That got a few chuckles out of the growing crowd behind him but Cloud just put his hands over his eyes, trying to subside the ever growing headache known as Reno. Sensing Cloud's mood getting darker than usual, Reno decided that enough was enough and extricated himself from the situation.

"Cloud, Cloud, Cloud. Do you think I'd cause trouble for my old buddy, my old pal, my old amigo?" He threw a companionable arm over Cloud's shoulders for emphasis.

"Yes." Cloud punctuated this by shrugging Reno's arm off.

"True, once upon the time. And I appreciate the honesty, by the way, I really do. I'll return the favor by saying that you will have no problems with me tonight. And that's the honest to goodness truth."

Reno was really working to get in tonight and Cloud didn't know why but he'd be lying if he wasn't curious and in the end curiosity won out as he waved the red head in to Reno's shout of "Scout's honor!" over his shoulder before he was swallowed up in the crowd. He wasn't hard to lose, he was like a walking fire ball among the common Friday night crowd and Cloud turned back to the door, ignoring the nagging feeling that he just allowed something bad to happen.

Reno worked the crowd, waving to just the right people he remembered and ignoring those he wished he didn't as he zigzagged his way to gain access to the ever present bartender. She was on fire tonight, pouring shots and sliding them down the bar to their owners all while listening to other customers and the constant gossip that was always flying around her.

"Can I get a gin and tonic and your phone number on the rocks sweet thing?"

Tifa laughed that oh-the-cleverness-of-you-hitting-on-me-while-ordering laugh at just the right time before she looked at who it was hitting on her.

"Reno, for the last time-"

"I know, I know, I already have your number. I was just going to offer it up for auction to one of these poor saps that are hanging around you every single night. Seriously, Teef, don't you ever need a break?"

"From you? Constantly."

"Har har."

Before their friendly banter could continue, Tifa placed Reno's drink in front of him on the bar and walked away, eagerly attending to another guy's order.

Maybe another night, Reno thought as he eyed up Tifa's well toned legs ending at a more than a handful of ass that he'd like to grab. Tonight, he was on a mission because tonight would be the night he would finally hook up with Elena.

Say what you want about relationships in the work place, Reno didn't care. It was all about convenience. The fact that he saw her every day with those piercing blue eyes and sassy short blond hair made him want her, even to the point of where he could close his eyes and picture her petite body filling out the Turk's regulation black suit and white shirt to near perfection. The only one more perfect was he, and he deserved the second best to himself; it was only fair. In fact, with his eyes still closed he swore he could hear her sweet voice calling his name… "_Reno"…a little breathier and louder now…_

"Reno."

_There it was again!_ Wow, he had a powerful imagination.

"Reno!"

_Ok, now this is just getting freaky_.

He opened his eyes to see a somewhat shiny-eyed Elena trying to make her way through the throng of people surrounding the bar and so inadvertently was pushed right into Reno's lap. She blushed and tried to get up a few seconds longer than necessary and he enjoyed every one as she made a quick apology and moved up against the bar. Reno stood guard to make sure no one got friendly with her as she ordered her drinks and she gave a smile of thanks before taking a beer in each hand and heading back to her secluded table in the corner.

_Table in the corner…perfect. _

Before Elena even had a chance to set both drinks down on the table, Reno was sliding into the chair across from her, giving her a look that made her blush again. This was ridiculous, getting flustered over little old Reno. Quickly, she composed herself and gave a small smile, trying her best to figure out why he was sitting across from her and how to get him to move as soon as possible.

Finally, he made his purpose known.

"Elena." He paused, taking a quick sip of his drink before continuing. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn he was nervous. "Elena, Elena, Elena."

"Yes, Reno?" She asked, waving her hand as if to get him to spit out what he had to say already. Whatever it was, he better say it quick.

"You're hot. But you already know that, right?" The way he wiggled his eyebrows made her laugh out loud at what she thought he was getting at. Instead of letting her answer, he continued.

"As you know, I am also what you would call studly. So I was thinking, since we're both very much above average on the hot scale, that we could…" He let the sentence drift off and she just kept looking at him, making him say it. "You know…" Again, blinking on her part until he finally concluded, "hook up or something."

"Hook up or something." She repeated it and he could feel the tips of his ears on fire. Was she trying to make this harder on him than it already was? Another swig of his drink made that thought go away.

"Exactly. I'm glad you agree. So, your place or mine?"

That's when she burst out laughing. Seriously, doubled over, slapping her hand on the table laughing until little tears stung the corners of her eyes. He sat there and took it all; it wasn't the most embarrassing thing he'd ever faced before or anything. Keeping a straight face, he smiled through it all until she finally stopped laughing.

"Wait, you're serious?" Elena wiped her eyes and looked at him quizzically.

"Why not?" Reno said, genuinely happy that she had stopped laughing in his face.

"But I…I thought you knew."

Now Elena had the decency to look a little ashamed of her actions and set her hands in her lap, a sign of self diplomacy. Oh no, he'd rather have her laughing at him instead of going all serious on him. Seriousness never led to anything good. No, seriousness led him to the one place he wanted to be tonight, and that was not Elena's place.

Still, keeping a brave face in place, he had to ask. "Knew what?"

"Tseng!"

She could not possibly still have a crush on their fearless leader for Christ's sake! He had to break her of this bad habit right here and right now.

"Tseng…Tseng! Seriously, Elena, when will you wake up and realize that he doesn't have any feelings for you. Even if he did, he can't have those feelings for you because he's our boss and that would just be plain creepy. Now I, I have feelings for you-"

"In your pants." She added even as she wasn't looking at him anymore but rather past him and over his head a little.

"And those are the best kind, now am I right or am I right?"

Reno never got his answer as suddenly there was a beefy hand on his shoulder that turned him around to face what, or rather who, Elena was looking at so adamantly.

"Whatever feelings I do or do not have for Elena are none of your concern, and neither are yours for that matter so just get those dirty little thoughts out of your head, Reno. You don't have enough room for them and special weapons tactics which you will be doing first thing Monday morning."

Reno couldn't keep that little whining noise out of his voice as he refused to admit defeat.

"Ah, come on, man! That's not fair." A glare from Tseng still looming over him made him quiet down for a second but barely. "I mean, seriously, you can't date one of your employees, can you? That's just so not cool."

"It has no affect on my working ability so I see no reason that it can't be done and so it will be done."

A quick glance at Elena showed her doe eyed and completely and happily afloat at what Tseng was saying. She was practically hovering out of her chair for crying out loud.

"Well this just sucks!" Reno said with what was left of his indignation flying out the window.

"Now, kindly get out of my seat or I will have to forcibly remove you from it."

Heeding the warning for once, Reno decided to take Tseng at his word for it, stood up and walked away from the scene of Elena completely overjoyed at Tseng coming to her rescue that she just can't help but throw herself at the big muscle brained man.

It disgusted him to think about and in a half hearted attempt, Reno balled his fist and swung around to land a punch at the back of Tsung's head but seeing them just sitting and having a quiet drink had him missing Tseng but following through to some thick necked local.

Reno's hand stopped with a thud before he shrieked and pulled it away, shaking out the bones now riddled with pain. Thick Neck just looked down at Reno and his throbbing hand and cracked his knuckles menacingly. Reno had enough wits about him that he tried to explain.

"Hey, man, I'm sorry. I was aiming for that guy and totally over swung and-"

"Hit me instead." Thick Neck finished for him, taking a step forward.

"That hurt me more than it hurt you!"

"True," was all Thick Neck said before taking another menacing step.

And that was the last thing Reno remembered before being roused at the bar with a glass of cold water soaking his once fiery spikes.

Sputtering, he asked, "What happened?"

Tifa just shook her head and walked back out to the floor, apparently cleaning up a mess that he had helped create.

"Oh, not from you. You passed out before the big guy could land in a swing."

Reno blinked a few times to see his fellow Turk, Cissnei, sitting in a chair at the table he was apparently laying on.

"Thick Neck?" He croaked, slowly feeling his face with his hands to assess the damage.

"Like I said, you passed out before he could actually hit you."

"You can stop saying that any time now, Cissi."

Ignoring him, she continued.

"Instead, he swung and hit some other guy which started an all out brawl that ended with Cloud flashing his buster sword but putting it away to use some good old fashioned physical force to throw their asses out. With Tifa's help in breaking less furniture in the process, of course."

Cissnei lifted a glass in the bar maid's direction and Tifa waved, handing Cloud a broken chair from a busted table set as he nodded back in acknowledgement to the younger girl at the bar.

In his inspection, Reno found a tender bump now growing on the back of his skull and moaned pathetically.

"Oh, that was a little love tap from Tifa, trying to remind you to never do it again," Cissnei clarified to him before yelling, "Great ass kicking, guys!"

They both turned back to their work as Reno just shook his head and snorted. His head didn't hurt nearly as much as his pride did, even as the buzz turning hangover started to build up from the night's activities.

"What? You can't appreciate that some real heroes came in and cleaned up the mess you started?"

"Me? I didn't even do anything!"

"You hit on Elena." Cissnei took an all knowing sip of her drink and held him with her deep brown eyes. _Damn those eyes._

Reno sat up and moved off of the table to a chair, pulling his hands through his wet hair and buying time to not have to look into her eyes.

"So what if I did? It's not like they're married." Those brown eyes flickered a little, showing him how wrong he was to even try.

"I didn't even know they were going out, alright? Sheesh, enough with the third degree."

"I didn't say anything."

"Your eyes did."

She blinked at him, a little shocked that he had noticed her eyes so much. She quickly covered it up, happy that he didn't notice. She didn't want him to think she _liked_ him or anything like that.

"It'll never happen." Cissnei said suddenly as if to make sure to keep thoughts like she'd just had clear out of Reno's mind as well.

"Naturally," he agreed so smoothly that she was happy that was the end of that, hiding the little twinge of well, _whatever_ it was she felt at how easily he had agreed.

"Tonight wasn't my night." Reno summed up the horror of the evening quite nicely.

"Apparently."

Ignoring her, Reno added with as much dignity as he could muster and a lift of his glass.

"Tomorrow night is my night!"

Instead of toasting along with him, Cissnei just rolled her eyes and he shrugged his shoulders, both taking a sip of their drink at the same time.

He'd show them. Saturday night would be his, all his.


	2. Saturday Night

**Saturday Night**

_I'm not paralyzed but I seem to be struck by you. I wanna make you move because you're standing still._

"That's it, there's my song!"

Reno refrained from head bobbing this time as he had just put the finishing touches to his gloriously spiked head and went over the essentials. Shirt open more than the collar to flash off some chest, check. Black suit slightly mussed up since he didn't have time to get it dry cleaned after last night's debacle, check.

With a quick finger gun to Rude, Reno was out the door, ignoring the he's-not-getting-laid-tonight nod that Rude gave him on the way out. Rude somehow always knew these things.

Seventh Heaven was still the place to be and Reno wouldn't be left out, even if last night's fiasco had any possibility of making a repeat appearance tonight. It didn't matter, he needed to be in that bar to woo his lady fair of the giant rack and mean right hook. If luck was on his side, he wouldn't be on the wrong end of that punch this time. There was an even more pissed off looking Cloud manning the door tonight than there was last night.

"Reno, I warned you last time-"

"Relax, Spiky. I won't cause any trouble. Technically, last time Thick Neck started it."

"And I had to end it and help Tifa clean up after you."

_Speaking of Tifa…target acquired._

It came, no pun intended, to Reno last night that Tifa was somewhat of a hottie herself. In fact, she was so hot she surpassed Elena by miles, reaching up to his beyond godly handsome ranking as his as–close-to-secondly-perfect-as-possible status. Reno now caught a glimpse of her long dark hair flowing as she moved behind the bar gracefully, serving all of the leering men with a well placed smile. He could tell when it was forced and when it was real after being behind the scenes of both many a time.

Reno was brought back to Cloud standing in front of him with a jostle from the people lined up impatiently behind him.

"I'll behave, I promise."

He tried to look sincere but Cloud saw through that to the reflection of Tifa in Reno's eyes and glared with a small snarl. "Don't make me hurt you."

Ignoring the warning, Reno patted Cloud on the shoulder and removed his hand before it was handed back to him detached from his arm, already lost in the throng of the crowd. Hoping to make a graceful entrance was lost as the force of the masses ruined his smooth move onto a stool by ramming him into the bar with an "Umph," knocking the wind out of him.

Tifa just so happened to be at the ready to take his order and so witnessed everything. Instead of a laugh at his expense as he expected, she leaned over the bar with a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright, Reno?"

"Oh, uh, I'm fine," he choked on his reply as his eyes were drawn to her chest pressed up against the wood of the bar right in front of him. His eyes lingered too long if her souring smile gave any hint when his eyes finally found her face once again.

"Uh, sorry, Teef. I'll have a beer."

After the somewhat alcohol induced headache of last night, he decided tonight he would keep a level head with light liquor; he never got really drunk and did anything extremely stupid off of beer before so he figured he was safe. Tifa had her arms crossed over her chest in her classic ass kicking pose and he had to restate that-he was safe from the alcohol but not guaranteed safety from her right hook.

"Please," he added for good measure with a smile and she relaxed a little, letting her arms drop to her sides to get a glass for his drink. "Phew, that was close."

"Smooth move, Red."

He reflexively turned to the voice even though he knew it was a bad idea from the smile on the petite girl's face.

"Hey, Cissi. Almost didn't see you there. You'd be lost in the crowd if it weren't for that bar stool."

It was true that she might have helped him in filling in the black out of last night but that didn't mean he had to start being nice to her. They were usually at each other's throats figuratively speaking as it should be, as coworkers and loosely associated friends. Last night was a one time thing and he had to make it clear.

She rolled her eyes, so over the jokes about her size.

"You know, you're the perfect height to suck my-"

"I can also cut it off." She cut him off, used to his crude humor after hearing it every day in the office. He never learned.

"You don't have your precious "Rekka" with you so how do you figure?" He looked her up and down quickly to make sure he was right about her being unarmed and breathed a sigh of relief before her next words made him suck it back in. "Don't worry, I'll manage."

He finally backed off a little, giving here some breathing room once he was out of her personal space for all of a silent twelve seconds.

"Since when can young ones drink these days?"

Jokes about her age as the youngest Turk were even more used up than about her height.

"Tifa trusts me, unlike you."

As she said this, Cissnei shook her glass at Tifa and the barmaid smiled, grabbing a bottle.

"You'll never get in her pants."

"Oooo, low blow, little one. But you underestimate the power of my charm over women."

Reno didn't seem to notice that Tifa had made her way over to refill Cissnei's drink and got smacked upside the head, saying, "I can hurt you," over her shoulder. He did his best not to flinch. Cissnei kept a straight face as if nothing happened. _Score points for her._

"I'm a woman," she pointed out and Reno indeed noticed her perky C cups and the way her legs crossed under her sassy pleated skirt that eerily resembled a school uniform. It was so distracting to see her out of her Turk uniform, well to see her in anything that showed off those glorious legs she'd been hiding, really, that he forgot what he was saying for a second.

"Honey, you're a _girl_. _She_ is a woman." He emphasized this with a wiggle of his eyebrows in Tifa's direction until the towel she was wiping glasses down with soared over the crowded bar and hit his leering face with a resounding **plop**.

"I can still hurt you!" She yelled, clenching a fist and waving it in the air to make her point clear.

"And _he_ is her man."

"Huh?" Cissnei's comment caught Reno off guard before the hand on his shoulder turned him around on his barstool to face an unexpected Cloud. An unexpected _pissed off_ Cloud.

"Reno, what did I tell you?"

"Hey man, I didn't even do anything!" Forgetting all thoughts of dignity, he got up, ready to run and looking for the best escape rout.

"Stop harassing my girlfriend!" Cloud picked Reno up by his shirt collar and shook him like a piece of paper for emphasis. He looked over at Tifa as if asking permission to throw him out once and for all but she shook her head.

"He is a paying customer after all."

Reno smiled meekly at Cloud's frown and warbled a thanks to Tifa.

"Just remember that I can hurt you for _any_ reason, Reno." As Reno blanched and fell back onto his seat, she turned to Cloud.

"I don't think we'll be having any more problems from him. Thanks, honey."

She gave him a quick kiss as he replied, "No problem, Teef," and went back to man his battle station at the door.

Reno smoothed down his shirt front, trying to hide his shame and defeat while Cissnei watched him mope in defeat.

"Self-pity does not look good on you." He smiled at the fact she was trying to lighten the mood.

"I make anything look good, babe." He didn't miss her eye roll as she slid a scotch that he didn't notice her order over to him.

"To sooth the pain."

He took it with a nod of thanks, liking the burn it blazed down his throat and the fog to his head. So much for that no hard liquor rule from earlier.

Maybe this wasn't so bad. Tifa was high on the list of unattainable but that's part of what made her so damn attractive. A second glance over his shoulder at Cloud sobered up any more thoughts of getting with Tifa that was for sure.

"You'll always have me."

Cissnei's voice was light hearted and joking but it was appreciated in that moment more than she would ever know. She could be cute sometimes, especially when she wasn't armed.

"Right, I'll always have you." _It'll never happen._

This was one of those times he appreciated the style and grace of her small frame, the tilt of her head exposing her smooth neck, the way her hair fell over one side of her face until he brushed it away with his hand to see two deep brown eyes staring back at him in gratitude and something more. Something he tried to ignore last night and pulled away from again tonight.

It made him smile a sad smile to contemplate what more there was there for him, but not now.

"Tomorrow night is my night." He looked over at Cissnei and noticed how she stared into her drink, not knowing he watched and heard her sigh softly at his proclamation.

One last night to try something new.


	3. Sunday Night

**Sunday Night**

_If your body matches what your eyes can do, you'll probably move right through me on my way to you._

"There's my song. It better work tonight, damn it."

Reno got ready quicker than he had the previous two nights, barely slowing down to hear his song. To say he was bitter at it's more than lacking charm for his previous two nights of striking out was an understatement.

Now, he just wanted to make sure he was dressed and out the door before anything bad could happen to thwart his going out all together. With a quick look in the mirror to make sure his clothes looked nice and his hair was at its best red headed height, he gave a quick wink to his reflection and didn't even bother waving to Rude on the way out.

He didn't need to see Rude shaking his head to foretell him striking out and going home alone for the third night in a row. He wouldn't let himself be psyched out that easily. Too bad he missed that Rude didn't give the disapproving nod, only tilting his head up as if to say good luck.

"Oh hell no, Reno. You've got to be kidding me if you think you're getting in tonight."

Cloud looked positively gleeful at telling Reno to go away after the previous two nights of crap he had put up with.

"Come on man, don't shut me out!" Reno was this close to hopping mad and it made Cloud even happier, getting the usually frowning man to crack a smile. A smile had to be good…Reno worked with it in one last act of desperation.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me hit on the first woman I see."

"That's it, that's the deal?"

"What more do you want?"

"How about, I let you hit on the first woman you see and when she rejects you, you leave of your own free will."

Reno didn't like his odds but he was at the end of his rope. Cloud's smile grew as he watched the red head contemplate his own fate and that should have been Reno's first sign to stop before saying "Deal."

About as subtle as stampede, Cloud said, "Reno, look over there," and pointed to the first woman Reno would see and have to hit on standing at the nearest end of the bar.

She was short in an athletic way wearing a mini skirt that showed off toned legs that Reno approved of. Her black hair was also short and just as he walked up behind her, he saw something out of the corner of his eye, lurking in the shadows. Ah hell, he'd know that shadow lurker anywhere.

Instead of letting it catch him off guard, he came right out and said it. "Vinny! Good to see you." _Oh shit, that means this could only be-_

"Hey Reno, what you doing here on a Sunday night?" He actually cringed at hearing her high pitched voice and flinched when Vincent gave him a warning look. It figured the creepy older vamp guy would be with the ninja…how did that even work anyways?

Before he could contemplate the height difference and angles some more, Yuffie snapped him out of his thoughts.

"You better not try to take any of my materia, mister." She poked Reno in the chest with her small index finger for emphasis.

"Where the hell are you keeping it?" He asked bewilderedly looking over her mini skirt and halter top clad body. She might have been able to stuff some down her bra but how uncomfortable would that be?

"Someplace you'll never know." She winked, actually winked in his direction and usually it would be the perfect opening until Vincent stepped out apparently bored from his looming in the corner duty.

"Yuffie, I think it's time we leave Reno to his own doing."

The small ninja looked up at her long haired, coat billowing dark knight with a pout. "But I'm still casing the place, Vinny. You never know what great materia people bring with when they're getting hammered hoping to get lucky."

Reno's face burned a little at the fleeting thought her words whisked away once Vincent took a hold of Yuffie's shoulder and steered her in the direction of the door without so much as a good bye.

Wait, take that back as Vincent back peddled back quickly to tell Reno ominously, "Don't call me Vinny."

"But Yuffie did-" He started saying without thinking, as always.

"That's different." Vincent said with an all knowing look as Reno debated opening his mouth again but kept it shut for once.

As they left, Reno couldn't help thinking how his last chance at getting laid tonight just walked out the door with Vincent. He never saw Yuffie in that way before but when put as the one and only woman to hit on tonight, it felt like he was a man dying of thirst denied that cool drink of water. Like a drowning man denied his life boat. Like a man sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole parole. The last one left a little wanting to the imagination but the point was still the same.

"Can you say jailbait?" Cissnei commented, watching as Yuffie left and the hopeless way Reno stared after her. "Seriously, what is Vincent thinking?"

"She's a young ninja who's flexible morally and more importantly physically?" Reno didn't even know where that came from but it was like Cissnei brought out the old rational Reno, the one who knew how to hit on women before this botched up weekend. Her laughter helped some. He never noticed how pretty her laugh was before.

"Hey, Cissnei, want to get a drink?"

She stopped laughing abruptly as she blinked rapidly which had the same effect as her fluttering her eyelashes and Reno looked on with a smile, realizing how deep her brown eyes really were. He wasn't afraid to look into them tonight and held eye contact with her until she was looking over his shoulder at something or more importantly, someone.

"Cloud. How's it going?"

Cloud? Cloud?! Was she seriously flirting with Cloud just now with the huge eyes and fluttering eyelashes? He didn't want to admit it but Reno felt whatever was left of his hope dashed in that one word that wasn't even a name really. Cloud- stupid trapped condensed air.

"It'll be great once I get the okay to throw Reno out for the night."

Reno blinked, startled out of his inner turmoil. "Oh yeah, that."

"Oh yeah, that, that's right. Will you do the honors or shall I?"

Reno gave a quick look to Cissnei who was looking back and forth between him and Cloud as if to say _what's going on?_ Instead of explaining his embarrassment, he decided to leave with one ounce of dignity left to his name.

"Maybe next time on that drink," he said instead, giving Cloud the nod to lead him to the door.

"Or maybe we could have that drink now," she said, startling all three people involved in this situation.

"Excuse me?" Reno said, his whole form actually perking up. Had she just said yes?

"Cissnei, he made a deal with me tonight." Cloud tried to explain, his happiness dimming down a notch.

"If I promise to look after him, can Reno stay?"

It didn't matter that they were talking as if he wasn't standing right there. His mind wasn't there anyways, instead fixated on that she had said yes. Yes! To him! It was the first yes all weekend that brightened his mood but even he couldn't deny that the fact that it was Cissnei that said yes that added that little extra in extraordinary.

She was looking at Cloud intently now, turning up the wattage on this big doe brown eyes of hers. Reno chuckled thinking of how he had been trapped a couple nights before in their gaze. She knew…she knew full well the effect those eyes had.

Cloud's happy meter dialed down another notch, giving a quick nod to Cissnei and a **behave** smack to Reno on the shoulder before making his way back to his post at the door.

That left Reno and Cissnei standing in a semi-awkward situation of had she really just saved him and if she indeed had, why had she and what did that mean to their working relationship, his ego and mostly his under serviced libido?

It was written all over her face how she had indeed saved him but was it because she actually wanted to get a drink with him and see where things went from there or because she felt pity for him after watching him these last few nights or maybe a mixture of both?

Leaving the direct questions unanswered, Reno simply walked Cissnei over to a chair at one of the many tables spread out among Seventh Heaven and pulled it out for her.

"It'll never happen," he whispered in her ear and he was rewarded with her smile and what the night held in store for the both of them.


	4. Later Sunday NightEarly Monday Morning

**Later Sunday Night/ Early Monday Morning**

"Okay so it happened."

Who was he kidding anyways?

The giggle that answered him made his smile grow a few notches. "A few times."

He couldn't help adding, "You know it, babe," and wasn't surprised by the pillow that landed over his face.

"You know, I think it's time for you to stop calling me Cissi. It's creepy and I don't care how much you're into it."

"Hell no, it's not a turn on." He couldn't help laughing so hard that he snorted which made her laugh until she couldn't breathe. It was a very rewarding sight to see.

Cissnei lay beside him with a smile so bright he could see it lighting up his darkened apartment. He couldn't get over how weird it was that it wasn't weird to have her there, naked and snuggled up into his side under his sheets. In fact, it was so not weird that it was kind of on the verge of amazing.

"Who would've thought that you'd be lying next to me at-" he craned his neck to check the illuminated clock on his night stand "4:03 on a Sunday night?"

"Monday morning," she corrected.

"Thank you, Monday morning." He didn't even mind her correcting him. In fact, he kind of liked it as he ran his fingers through her long brown hair. It was so soft that the motion was putting him to sleep until she answered his semi-hypothetical question.

"I thought about it, a lot actually." Her voice was laced with sleep as his fingers still played with her hair until his next words woke her up.

"Sorry about the bar scene nights." She did her best to keep her breathing even, listening to his heart pound through where she was resting her head on his chest.

"That's not how I really am…at least I don't think I am like that anymore."

"You had to get it out of your system, that's all." Cissnei stated simply, moving her head to gaze up at him with those big brown eyes and this time he didn't want to nor fight to look away. "I knew you'd come back to me, you always do."

"That I do."

A few chosen words did not make this a declaration but Reno was content to sit in the mostly comfortable silence that followed, trying to make his mind ignore how much he wanted those next words that brought it all together, words he'd never thought to hear nor wanted to hear before for him.

"You'll always have me, you know."

There it was. The simple confession. The easy admission of adoration, summed up into those three words: you have me.

"I'll always have you."

_As it was meant to be._

The End.

A/N: And so ends my attempt to take a glimpse into Reno's sordid affairs. Please let me know what you think, and thanks for sticking it out.


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